Liberal Arts Deliver Lifetime Skills

WAYNE STEELY | OP-EDThe Hartford Courant

Having been in academia for more than 30 years and having been through the process with my own daughters, I understand that many parents and students face daunting decisions regarding college. Where to go? What major to choose?

For many — in fact, for the overwhelming majority of students (more than 85 percent, according to a recent study) — the main reason to attend college is "to be able to get a better job." After all, it's a large financial and emotional investment. "Will there be a job afterward?" is a question I field constantly.

So, naturally, I urge students to consider studying the liberal arts. Yes, the liberal arts — the butt of "You want fries with that?" jokes; academia's poor sister to the much-touted STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and business fields. Should students listen to my suggestion? Of course not; I am dean of a school of humanities and social sciences. They should, however, listen to the people who matter when it comes to jobs: the people who employ the young men and women graduating from our higher education system.

Last April, Hart Research Associates surveyed high-level executives (presidents, CEOs, owners) of more than 300 private and nonprofit organizations. Among the most important findings were that nearly all those surveyed (93 percent) agree, "a candidate's demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly and solve complex problems is more important than their undergraduate major." Although a broad array of skills were mentioned as being desirable, well over 90 percent of employers put these three at the top of the list: ethics ("demonstrate ethical judgment and integrity"), intercultural skills ("comfortable working with colleagues, customers and/or clients from diverse cultural backgrounds") and professional development ("demonstrate the capacity for professional development and continued new learning").

So, while the so-called "professional" majors may be a slightly better guarantee of a first job than a liberal arts major, the skills most coveted by employers, and those that may lead to long-term success, are ones most associated with the liberal arts.

Jennifer Floren, founder and former CEO of Experience Inc., which specializes in linking up college students with prospective employers, noted, "It's clear based on the data that employers truly value the so-called 'soft skills,' such as analytic thinking and communication ability. I think this speaks to the fact that specific on-the-job skills change, and they change more quickly these days than ever before. As a result, employers are looking for raw material — talent that they can work with and develop, people who can adapt to changes over time."

While Ms. Floren's words are good news for liberal arts students, I find that the term "soft skills" is a misnomer and a disservice to the liberal arts. It implies ease of acquisition and lack of importance. These skills are hard — hard to acquire, chiefly through hard work over the course of years. And, at least according to employers, they are hard to find, but they are exactly what employers want.

The bottom line, according to the Hart Research study, is that "liberal arts graduates are perfectly payable and employable" and also excel at "meeting employers' desires and expectations." There is lots of anecdotal evidence about liberal arts majors enjoying success beyond the strict boundaries of their fields: Barack Obama (Political Science); Mitt Romney (English); Steven Spielberg (English) ex-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (History); Clarence Thomas (Classics); author J.K. Rowling (French and Classics); investor Carl Icahn (Philosophy); former Treasury secretary Hank Paulsen (English) are among the many who have used the liberal arts as a pivotal aspect of their careers.

Beyond getting a rewarding job, students should seek a truly fulfilling, well-rounded life — one that involves travel, contact with other cultures, reading life-changing literature, enjoying a work of art and music, thinking deeply about personal relationships and making moral and ethical decisions as a knowledgeable and responsible citizen.

Yes, I'm talking about the liberal arts again — because a student's whole life is so valuable.

Wayne Steely is the dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and chair of the Department of Languages at the University of Saint Joseph.